1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scanning probe microscope fine-movement mechanism to be provided on a scanning probe microscope that measures various pieces of physical-property information about sample surface topography, viscoelasticity or the like by placing the probe in proximity to or in contact with a sample surface, and to a scanning probe microscope having the same.
2. Description of the Related Arts
As well known, the scanning probe microscope (SPM) is known as an apparatus for measuring a microscopic region of a sample, such as of metal, semiconductor, ceramic, resin, polymer, bio material or insulator, and observing the sample for its physical-property information of viscoelasticity, etc. or surface topography.
Of the scanning probe microscopes, there is well known a type having a stage to put a sample thereon and a cantilever having a probe at a front end to be placed in proximity to or in contact with a sample surface (see JP-A-2000-346784, for example). The stage and the probe are to be relatively moved in X and Y directions so that the sample can be scanned over by the probe. While measuring a displacement amount of the cantilever during the scanning, the stage or the probe is operated in the Z direction. By controlling the distance of between the sample and the probe, measurement can be made as to various pieces of physical-property information.
In the meanwhile, in order to improve measurement accuracy, there is a need to move the stage and the probe with accuracy for scanning. For this reason, it is a general practice to provide a scanning probe microscope fine-movement mechanism in order to move the stage and the probe with accuracy.
The scanning probe microscope fine-movement mechanism has a driver, such as a three-dimensional actuator, for finely moving the stage and the probe, wherein there is well known a type that movements in X, Y and Z directions are available by means of such a three-dimensional actuator.
Here, in order to improve the scanning speed with a probe, movement speed is needed by far higher in the Z direction as compared to that in the X or Y direction. This is because follow-up is always needed in the Z direction in order to bring the distance of between the sample and the probe into constant during scanning in the X and Y directions.